Privacy International finds evidences that Ethiopian government spies on Diaspora oppositions’ PCs

ESAT News

January 30, 2014

Established in 1990 to defend the right to privacy across the world, and to fight surveillance and other intrusions into private life by governments and corporations, the London based Privacy International (PI), had called the HM Revenue and Customs Office of the British government to investigate the potentially illegal exports to non EU countries by the British company Gamma International, which has been exporting surveillance products without a license to repressive regimes with dismal human rights records.

In the letter, PI said that the surveillance virus had been found by the Munk School of Global Affairs of Toronto University on the Personal Computers (PC) of Dr. Tadesse Biru, senior leadership member of the opposition Ginbot 7 Movement.

 The system has been sold to 36 countries that breach human rights and has been used to spy on political opponents in Ethiopia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

 The same software has been found on the PC of another Bahraini Human Rights activist, PI said.

Dr. Tadesse, whose PC has been under surveillance by the FinFisher system, said he had given a testimony to the solicitors of PI. Dr. Tadesse said PI plans to take Gamma International to court.